Here it is "black magic
The Vietnamese team traveled to Indonesia with many doubts after the goalless draw against Singapore at My Dinh a few days ago. In that encounter, Nguyen Xuan Son and his teammates did not play well and were also unlucky. In the first half, Dinh Bac's shots or Thanh Chung's header were very close to the goal.
In the second half, Nguyen Tai Loc's efforts only helped him put the ball... hitting the crossbar. If the striker born in 1994 had a little more luck, Vietnam could have beaten Singapore, although those 3 points would hardly convince the fans.
Football coaches are also human and many of them believe in spiritual stories. In an interview with a Vietnamese journalist, coach Alexandre Polking (Hanoi Police) once admitted that he only wears one outfit to the field until failure and then he will change to another outfit. This has been repeated for a long time.
Vietnamese fans immediately associated him with coach Kim Sang-sik. This coach is still famous for being lucky at the right time. Netizens also joked that the Korean strategist has "black magic" and will develop it right at the time when the Vietnamese team faces the most difficulties.
But Mr. Kim Sang-sik also has his own taboos. In the match against Singapore, Mr. Kim wore a white shirt and was unlucky. This strategist bluntly declared in the press conference before the match against Indonesia that he would wear a black shirt to "pray for luck". And this coach did not joke. The former kimchi legend chose his familiar black shirt and the Vietnamese team won against Indonesia 3-0. In the post-match press conference, he said that he had "abandoned the white shirt and had to explain the reason to his wife".
Luck doesn't come naturally
Coach Kim Sang-sik may be lucky, but this is not about "opening his mouth to wait for success". The coaching staff of the Vietnamese national team surprised with personnel decisions, making everything unpredictable. Nguyen Dinh Bac, who was substituted from the first half of the match against Singapore, continued to start against Indonesia.
The quartet of stars including Nguyen Xuan Son, Do Hoang Hen, Doan Van Hau and Nguyen Quang Hai sat on the bench. Nguyen Hai Long, Nguyen Tai Loc, Le Pham Thanh Long and Bui Hoang Viet Anh started from the beginning. These decisions all maximized their effectiveness and brought victory to the Vietnamese team.
Central defender Bui Hoang Viet Anh in the defense, although having to bleed, still "locked down" Mitchell Baker. He supported both the ball deployment and the attacking front well. This player brought much greater peace of mind than Doan Van Hau's unstable form.
Le Pham Thanh Long is only 1m65 tall but excellently completes the task of recovering the ball, regulating the play instead of Quang Hai. The midfielder born in 1996 is clearly more suitable for Hoang Duc in the midfield area. It is the balance and connection between this duo that makes the Vietnamese team much stronger.
In attack, Nguyen Tai Loc made a great contribution to the playing style, putting pressure on Indonesia's defense. Hai Long scored to increase the score to 2-0 while Dinh Bac completed the task of chasing the ball, supporting defense and connecting with teammates.
Commentator Ngo Quang Tung commented: "We have a squad with compatibility and balance at a high level. It is necessary to recognize that some opponents have been very weak recently, the problems of central midfielders have not been fully understood. It was not until the match against Singapore that everything broke down. Coach Kim Sang-sik only needs to return a squad with factors to compensate and support to create balance. Mr. Kim uses people very interestingly, with a way of intimidation, expressing clear and decisive views. In addition, there is also trust to promote the strengths of the players".
Magic and luck do not appear randomly, coach Kim Sang-sik has exploited his own "treasure".
